Refrigerating apparatus



' O. M. SUMMERS June 18, 1935.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l M4. Wu

June 18, 1935. O SUMMERS 2,005,057

I REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19. 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 18, 1935.

0. M. SUMMERS 2,005,057 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19. 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3' Q N a =1 Patented June 18, 1935 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Otto M. Summers, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application January 19, 1934, Serial No. 707,299

Claims. (01. 211-153) This invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and particularly to refrigerator cabinets.

An object of the present invention isto provide an improved adjustable shelf arrangement 5 within the food storage compartment of a refrigerator cabinet. 4 4

Another object of the present invention is to provide a food storage compartment of a refrigerator cabinet with a shelf which can be read-.

ily and quickly moved from the refrigerator cabinet or from one supported position therein to another.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable shelf arrangement within the food storage compartment of a refrigerator cabinet'whereby the shelf can be readily detached from its supported position and quickly moved and supported in another position within the compartment without removing the shelf from the compartment.

In carrying out the foregoing objects it is a still further and more specific object of the invention to provide a shelf with a toggle or the like device to render the shelf substantially collapsible within the food storage compartment of a refrigerator cabinet to thereby eliminate the necessity of removing the shelf from the compartment when adjustment thereof from one position to another within the compartment is desired.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the.

present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet having shelves constructed in accordance with the present invention mounted in the food storage compartment thereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section of the cabinet taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing a top plan view of a shelf mounted therein;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the refrigerator cabinet taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and showing the shelf firmly supported within the cabinet food storage compartment;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the front end of the shelf elevated to cause detachment of certain of its supporting members from the walls of the food, storage compartment; and

Pig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3 showing the shelf supporting portion of a toggle device associated with the shelf. g

Referring to the drawings I have shown in Fig. 1 thereof, for the purpose of illustrating my invention, a refrigerator cabinet of the house- 5 hold type, generally designated by the numeral Ill. The cabinet I0 includes a lining member II forming the top, bottom and side walls of a food storage compartment I2. The food storage compartment I2 is insulated such as by the cork- 10 board or any other suitable insulating material l3. Cabinet II) has a door opening I4 formed in the front wall thereof which opening is ordinarily closed by a door I5 providing access to the food compartment I2. An evaporator or 15 cooling unit I! of any conventional design is disposed. in the upper portion of compartment I2 and is adapted to be connected with any suitable type of refrigerant liquefying and condensing unit to create evaporation of refriger- 2o ant therein to thus cause the cooling unit to absorb heat from the compartment I2 and reduce the temperature thereof to a degree.sufficient for proper preservation of food stored therein.

The food storage compartment wall lining member I I may be supported within the cabinet in any suitable manner and is shown as being preferably supported from or attached to the frame of the cabinet which surrounds the door opening I4 as is conventional in present-day structures. The lining member II is provided with a plurality of depressions 2| in the back upright or vertical wall of the food compartment. The narrow front vertical or upright wall portions of lining member I I adjacent the door opening I4 is also provided with a plurality ofdepressions 22. The door opening frame member, backing up lining I I at the front of the cabinet may or may not be cut out to receive the projections produced by forming the depressions 22 in lining 'I I. A pair of the depressions 2| in the food compartment rear I wall are opposite and in substantially horizontal alignment with a pair of the depressions 22 formed in the narrow front vertical wall portions of the 45 lining member (see Fig; 2). Any desired number of these depressions may be provided in lining I I (see Figs. 3 and 4) according to the height of the food storage compartment and according to the desired number of adjustable shelf supporting positions to be provided in the cabinet.

A plurality of shelves 24 are horizontally disposed within the food storage compartment I2 and are supported therein in a manner tobe hereinafter more fullydescribed. Each shelf 24 end thereof (see Fig. 4).

includes a rim member 25 having food supporting cross pieces or bars 26 extending from the front to the rear of member-25 and secured to the upper portion thereof. Each of the shelves 24 include a pair of fingers, arms or supporting protrusions 21 welded or otherwise secured to the rim member 25 at the back of theshelf and extending outwardly therefrom. These fingers, arms or protrusions 21 secured to the shelf are threaded and screw-threadedly receive thereon a metal in sert contained in a rubber cover to thus provide adjustable resilient or semi-flexible mounting nuts or plugs 28. Similar mounting nuts or plugs 29 have their metal insert soldered or otherwise secured upon the end of a pair of arms 3| located at the front of the shelf 24. These arms have a pair of upstanding ears 30 .strad dling and pivotally attached'or secured to the rim 25 of shelf 24 by shafts or rivets 32 (see Figs. 3 and 5). Each arm 3| is attached to the shelf 24 adjacent the side edge thereof and inwardly a few inches of the front edge of the shelf. The nuts or plugs 28 are preferably arranged on the shelf in an adjustable manner to permit movement thereof. The portions 33 of arms 3| serve as a stopand are adapted to be engaged by a portion of the shelf rim 25, thus supporting the shelf 24 when the pivoted arms are in substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf, or when the shelf isv supported in the position shown in Fig. 3. The pivoted arms 3| thus form toggle devices for the shelves 24 and render the shelves substantially collapsible within the compartment l2. It is obvious from the disclosure shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings that when the shelves 24 are mounted in supported position within the food storage compartment |2 of cabinet ID the toggle devices are in substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf and the nuts or plugs 28 at the rear of the shelves fit into and tightly engage the depressed portions 2| formed in the compartment rear wall or lining I I while the nutsor plugs 29, carried by the arms or toggle devices 3|, at the front of the shelves fit into and engage the depressed portions 22 formed in the front wall of lining A portion of the fiat horizontally extended 'portions 33 of arms or toggle devices 3| engage or 55' abut the bottom of rim member 25 of shelf 24 tothus rigidly or firmly support the shelf in a horizontal position between the walls of the food storage compartment.

The foregoing described shelf supporting structure, together with the provision of a plurality of depressions at different elevations along the vertical walls of the food compartment provides a shelf arrangement for a refrigerator cabinet which can be quickly released from one supported position and quickly moved and adjusted to another elevation or supported position. In order to substantially collapse the shelf or to release the shelf of the present arrangement from op,- posed walls of the cabinet food compartment, or to release or cause disengagement of the shelf supporting portions 29 from the lining depressions 22 at the front end of the shelf 24 adjacent the food compartment door opening I4, the front end of the shelf is moved upwardly relative to the rear Movement of the front arms or toggle devices 3| inwardly of the front wall of the compartment whereby the nuts or plugs 29 are tilted and slide or are moved inwardly of the compartment beyond the depressions 22. It is obvious that movement of the front end of shelf 24 a slight distance upwardly from the position thereof shown in Fig. 4 will cause the nuts or plugs 29 to move entirely out of and away from the depression 22. Such movement of the toggle device 3| causes the shelf to be substantially collapsed, or, in other words, causes the nuts or plugs 29 to free the depressions 22 to permit the shelf to be moved upwardly or downwardly within compartment l2. The releasing or freeing of the shelf supporting portions from depressions in the food storage compartment lining thereby permits adjustment of the shelf to another elevation within the compartment without removing the shelf therefrom.

To firmly support the shelf in another position different from that from which it may be released or moved, as for example, in the position provided by the extra or unused depressions shown in Figs.

3 and 4, the nuts or plugs 28 at the rear of the the front compartment wall adjacent the door 9 opening and the nuts or plugs 29 carried by the arms are guided into the depressions 22. When the plugs 29 are adjacent to or begin to enter the depressions 22 the front end of the shelf is lowered thus causing the nuts or plugs 29 to move entirely into the lining depressed portions 22. During lowering of the front end of shelf 24 at this time, the shelf and the toggle devices or arms 3| are caused to move into substantially horizontal alignment with one another whereby the rim 25 of shelf 24 engages and rests on the horizontally extended portion 33 on arms 3| to firmly support the shelf in a horizontal position within the food storage compartment. The exterior of nuts or plugs 28 and 29 are preferablyof resilient material in order to permit tight engagement thereof with the walls of the depressions 2| and 22 without cracking the coating on lining II and so as to prevent vibrating and rattling of the shelves within the food compartment.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have provided an improved adjustable shelf arrangement for the food storage compartment of a refrigerator cabinet whereby any shelf in the arrangement can be readily released from one supported position in the compartment and quickly moved relative to other shelves in the arrangement and supported in another position in the might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows 1. A shelf for a refrigerator cabinet comprising; opposed supporting portions on said shelf adapted to fit against opposed walls of a compartment in the cabinet, certain of said supporting portions being pivotally secured to said shelf and forming a toggle device, said toggle device being so constructed and arranged that when in substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf the opposed shelf supporting portions are adapted to tightly engage the opposed walls of the compartment to firmly hold the shelf in position therein and when moved out of said substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf certain of said shelf supporting portions will be released from the compartment walls to permit free movement of the shelf relative to the walls, and certain of said shelf supporting portions being adjustable horizontally relative to said shelf.

2. A shelf for a refrigerator cabinet comprising, opposed supporting portions on said shelf adapted to fit into horizontally aligned opposed depressions in walls of a compartment in the-cabinet, certain of said supporting portions being pivotally secured to said shelf and forming a toggle device, said toggle device being so constructed and arranged that when in substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf the opposed shelf supporting portions are adapted to fit into and tightly engagethe opposed depressions in the compartment walls to firmly hold the shelf in position in the compartment and when moved out of said substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf certain of said shelf supporting portions will be released from the depressions in the compartment walls to permit free movement of the shelf relative to the walls and certain of said shelf supporting portions being adjustable horizontally relative to said shelf.

3. A shelf for a refrigerator cabinet comprising, opposed supporting arms on said shelf each including a resilient end member adapted to fit into horizontally aligned opposed depressions in Wallsof a compartment in the cabinet, certain of said supporting arms being pivotally secured to said shelf and forming a toggle device, said toggle device being so constructed and'arranged that when in substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf the members on the shelf supporting arms are adapted to fit into and tightly engage the opposed depressions in the compartment walls to firmly hold the shelf in position in the compartment and when moved out of said substan: tially horizontal alignment with the shelf certain of said members on said shelf supportingarms will be released from the depressions in the compartment walls to'permit free movement of the shelf relative to the walls and certain of said members on said shelf supporting arms being adjustable.

4. A shelf for a refrigerator cabinet comprising, opposed supporting arms extending outwardly of the boundary of said shelf and adapted to fit into horizontally aligned opposed depressions in walls of a compartment in the cabinet, certain of said supporting arms being pivotally secured to said shelf and forming a toggle device, said toggle device being so constructed and arranged that when in substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf the opposed supporting arms are adapted to fit into and tightly engage the opposed depressions in the compartment walls to firmly hold 'the shelf in position in the compartment and when moved out of said substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf certain of said shelf supporting arms will be released from the depressions in the compartment walls to permit free movement of the shelf relative to the walls.

\ 5. A shelf for a refrigerator cabinet comprislng, opposed supporting portions'on said shelf, each including a resilient end member adapted to fit against opposedwalls of a compartment in the cabinet, certain of said supporting portions being pivotally secured to said shelf and forming a toggle device, said toggle device being so constructed and arranged that when in substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf the resilient end member on opposed shelf supporting portions are adapted to tightly engage the opposed walls of the compartment to firmly hold the shelf in position therein and when moved out of said substantially horizontal alignment with the shelf certain of .the resilient end members on said shelf portions being adjustable horizontally relative to said shelf.

. OTTO M, SUMMERS. 

